Seifallah Andayesh

Abstract Introduction: The aim of this research is to examine the impact of workplace ostracism on knowledge hiding, with the mediating role of reciprocity beliefs among the staff of the libraries at the University of Tehran. Methodology: The research method is descriptive and survey-based, and it is applied in terms of its objective. The statistical population consists of 158 employees from the University of Tehran's libraries. The data collection tool for measuring knowledge hiding was the Serneko and Bontis (2016) questionnaire, which included 12 items across three categories: evasive hiding, playing dumb, and rationalized hiding. To assess reciprocity beliefs, the Woo et al. (2006) questionnaire was used, and for workplace ostracism, the Ferris et al. (2008) questionnaire was employed. The reliability was confirmed through Cronbach's alpha, and validity was verified using convergent and discriminant validity. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution and inferential statistics, with structural equation modeling via Smart PLS. Findings: The findings showed that workplace ostracism affects knowledge hiding and also has an impact on reciprocity beliefs. Furthermore, reciprocity beliefs influence knowledge hiding. Conclusion: The results indicated that reciprocity beliefs act as a mediator in the relationship between workplace ostracism and knowledge hiding.